The Center for Cultural Experiences in Prevention aims to strengthen the capacity of community organizations and the university to provide HIV and substance abuse prevention programs and services to the Richmond area. read more...

More often than not, society associates older adulthood with decline. However, older age is linked to increased well-being and more positive affect in comparison to individuals in younger and middle adulthood. read more...

Adolescents spend a lot of time online engaging in social communication. Some of these experiences target adolescents’ racial group membership. Do these experiences impact the way adolescents interact with others? read more...

Terrell Hicks

Research Lab

Faculty Adviser

I completed my bachelor of science degree in psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2014. During my postbaccalaureate at Duke University, I received mentored research training as part of a National Cancer Institute of the National Institutes of Health R01 supplement to promote diversity in health-related research. I joined the doctoral program in clinical psychology at VCU in 2017 because of the program’s strong reputation of providing excellent training in research and clinical practice.

At VCU I will broadly focus on understanding factors that influence post-trauma trajectory of symptoms among individuals exposed to a variety of potentially traumatic events. Specifically, my research interests lie at the intersection of biological and environmental factors that influence the development of PTSD and co-morbid problematic substance use (i.e., cannabis, tobacco, alcohol). I am also interested in reducing racial, ethnic and sexual minorities’ disparities in health care. My long-term research goals are largely focused on the identification of potentially modifiable environmental variables that increase risk for post-trauma psychopathology (in their interaction with genetic variants), with the aim of translating these findings into culturally sensitive prevention and secondary intervention programs.